NEW DELHI: Vehicle owners in India are increasingly placing a greater level of importance on communication and interaction with the service advisor during their after-sales experience, according to the JD Power 2017 India Customer Service Index (Mass Market) Study, SM released on Tuesday.

This key driver of customer satisfaction encompasses several aspects, such as the performance of a thorough multi-point inspection around the vehicle; confirmation of consumer requests; review and explanation of the work pre- and post-service; and regular vehicle status updates.

The study finds that 79 per cent of vehicle owners have received all such relevant advisor-led communication, which in turn results in a 23-point increase (on a 1,000-point scale) in satisfaction. Non-compliance with these aspects results in a significant 41-point drop in satisfaction.

“While the quality of service remains a principal driver of customer satisfaction in India, clear, proactive and frequent communication from service advisors demonstrates a greater commitment toward enhancing customer engagement,” said Kaustav Roy, Director at JD Power.

“Dealerships that are successful in delivering on both service and improved communication can expect to achieve stronger recommendations and a higher customer retention level.”

Overall satisfaction for this segment has decreased marginally from last year by 3 points (877 versus 880, respectively). Among the factors, the greatest decrease (-3 points) is in service initiation, service advisor and service facility.

The quality of service remains a critical driver of satisfaction. The study finds that 87 per cent of vehicle owners said that the work carried out was right the first time and that their vehicle was washed and vacuumed.

Overall satisfaction among these customers is 13 points higher than among those whose work was not done right the first time was whose vehicle was not washed or vacuumed.

Almost one-fourth (24 per cent) of customers indicate that they remained at the dealership throughout the entire service visit. Among these customers, 58 per cent say they were provided six or more amenities by the dealerships, compared with 34 per cent last year — an increase of 24 percentage points year over year.

Mayank Pareek, President, Passenger Vehicle Business, Tata Motors, said, “It is a proud moment for us to rank second (third rank in 2016) in the JD Power 2017 India Customer Service Index (CSI) Study with a score of 893 points. While the Mass market average has gone down by 3 points (880 to 877), we have gone up by 5 points."

" With enriched purchase experience and consistent quality of service as its key pillars, customer centricity remains imperative. We have been consistently pushing boundaries, connecting aspirations of our customers with a special focus on personalized attention to customer, nation-wide service camps, etc,” he added.

“This recognition is a testament of our commitment to offer customer centric and tailor-made product service solutions. We thank our customers for their continued trust in the brand. While we have improved our rank from last year, we will give our best and aim for rank one.”

The 2017 India Customer Service Index (CSI) Study is based on responses from 7,878 new-vehicle owners, who purchased their vehicle between May 2015 and August 2016. The study was fielded from May through August 2017.

Now in its 21st year, the study measures new-vehicle owner satisfaction with the after-sales service process by examining dealership performance in five factors (listed in order of importance): service quality; vehicle pick-up; service advisor; service facility; and service initiation.